Glen considers plant that converts sewage into fertilizer

January 25, 2018 06:29 PM

GLEN - The empty parcel of land in the Glen Canal View Industrial Park doesn't look like much now. But there are plans to build a bio-solids plant in the empty space. It would, basically, convert sewage into fertilizer. Neighbors are concerned about increased truck traffic, the environmental impact and, obviously, the potential for smell.

"This is human waste. Anything that is going down your toilet or sink and that's what they're processing at this plant," worries neighbor Stella Gittle.

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Lystek - which is headquartered in Ontario - just submitted its application last Friday and chose Montgomery County because of its central agriculture location. Glen's Planning Board already changed zoning to accommodate the company and will likely vote on the plant in mid March or early April.

"I believe we need to make objective decisions based on...legal issues and so forth," explains Planning Board Chairman, Frank Casler.

The town and county could certainly benefit from the taxes. The industrial park is fairly empty and, as you can tell from this sign, was built four governors ago. It has both opposition and support on the Glen planning board.

"The business fits that's where my vote comes from. Will people be affected? I think probably so," believes Casler.

Lystek operates eleven similar waste treatment plants, two here in the U-S.

"It is frustrating because they are listening to a company from Canada not the local residents who lived here for generations," adds Gittle.

The Glen Planning Board will consider the issue at its next meeting on February 15th. Lystek plans to hold community education sessions and, if the plan is approved, would create a committee made up of stakeholders to constantly assess the plant and its impact.

A Lystek spokesman told NewsChannel 13 on Thursday that the fertilizer is primarily used on crops that are not consumed by humans.